A Promise of 500 Years
by kaya's window
Summary: After a single mistake, Yoh loses an important friend to Hao and over time, he realizes how much Ren meant to him.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King

Teaser: After one careless mistake, Yoh loses an important friend to Hao, and over time he realizes how much Ren meant to him.

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A Promise of 500 Years

Yoh and Ren hurried through the sacred area that held the Great Spirit. They were tired from running for such a long time, but they knew they cannot stop to rest. Yoh turned to his friend beside him as he ran. Wheezing and out of breath, he simply gave the other a nod, telling him to hang on and to make sure he was okay. Ren returned the nod reassuringly, head going down and up in one quick motion; though in reality, his legs were hurting and every part of his body was telling him to stop. It wasn't just Ren, they were both at their limit.

Right after Hao had declared he will forcefully obtain the Great Spirit without completing the tournament, Yoh and his group of friends had thrown down their oracle bells and set off to pursue Hao. Hao's henchmen tried to stop them and one by one, the group of friends stayed behind to fight to clear the way for Yoh to stop Hao. In the end, only Ren managed to catch up with Yoh. It's been a while since then and they have been running non stop. Finding Hao in such a great expanse wasn't easy.

Brown eyes caught a glimpse of a figure ambling in the far distance. His brows tightened. Yoh knew for certain that it was Hao, not just another of the fiery shaman's henchmen. He couldn't understand Hao's actions. He couldn't understand why someone who is able to see spirits would do bad things. It went against his thinking, but Yoh knew he had to do something. He couldn't sit aside and hope Hao would turn a new leaf on his own any longer.

"Hao!"

Yoh and Ren had finally caught up to him. Hao and Opacho turned around. They stood there to look amusedly at them as they breathed heavily from the chase. Hao gave them an arrogant smirk.

"Oh, it's Yoh. What do you want?"

"Hao..!" Yoh called desperately with all his breath, but the fire shaman didn't wait for Yoh to give his answer. "I don't need you anymore, Yoh," He told his other half in a cool voice. He continued, eyes looking up to the sky in a manic way. He laughed. "As of now, after my Spirt of Fire consumed that sprite of a spirit, I'm already more than strong enough to claim the Great Spirit on my own." He spread his arms from under his cloak to emphasize his point. Yoh shook his head.

"You can't!"

He stared straight at his brother. Ren beside him held his weapon tight. They were both ready to stop Hao no matter what. Seeing this, Hao's face darkened. He voice was beginning to hold a tone of annoyance. "Why do you try to get in my way?"

"Because I can't let you kill innocent people!" Yoh shouted.

"And why can't I kill those humans?" Hao shot back, his temper was beginning to flare. Yoh, however, didn't care. He abruptly spoke what was on mind, what he believed to be the truth.

"Because you're human too!"

There was a fearsome look in the long haired shaman's eyes. His teeth gritted, then the corners of his lips tightened into a wry grin. Step by step, he began approaching his other half. Hao was seriously ticked off, Ren could tell. He just couldn't understand why Yoh spent all that time negotiating with Hao. If it were up to Ren, he would've jumped right into battle with the ruthless killer.

He couldn't comprehend Yoh's ways, but one thing was for certain. He clutched his blade as Hao came closer. He was protecting Yoh no matter what.

"Hold your guard," he told Yoh, but Yoh wasn't listening.

Yoh suddenly felt a strong sense of fear wash over him. His feet were rooted to the ground and the air seemed to be trembling about Hao, who was slowly coming towards him. Yoh didn't know that his own face was capable of looking so scary. He felt his whole consciousness being sucked in by Hao's words.

"Yoh…"

"…you are so naïve…"

The words held a tone of suppressed anger. His voice seemed to tremble with every word. Hao stopped when he was right in front of the stunned Yoh and sneered, "...so naïve that it sickens me!"

Yoh didn't know what happened next, but he heard Ren call out to him frantically and felt a hand roughly push him away. Yoh stumbled onto the ground. He turned around to see Ren standing in his place before Hao, but there was something wrong. Ren wasn't just standing there, his whole body seemed to be bending in pain.

"Ren!" he called out. Ren looked like he wanted to respond, but no words came out of his open mouth. His face was twisted in pain and his body was shaking as if it was too excruciating to bear. Yoh couldn't understand what was going on and his eyes followed to where Hao's hand remained connected to Ren's side. Then he saw the gloved hand was not only touching Ren, but it had reached within the boy's very flesh. There was no blood and no wound could be seen. It was like magic, but Yoh could tell there was pain, from the way Ren looked.

"Huh," Hao smirked. "Guess I got the wrong one…"

He seemed to ponder for a moment at his miscalculation. Then a cold grin appeared on his face. The hand suddenly tightened within Ren's side and the boy began making a coughing sound. Yoh watched in horror as Hao's hand withdrew and a transparent film came along with it. Ren twisted in pain as it was being extracted.

"Ren!" Yoh caught him when Hao released the now unconscious boy and had nudged him towards the ground. He shook at Ren frantically, but there was no response. He looked up at Hao and saw a glimpse of Ren's transparent form before it shrunk into a small glowing ball of white light. It remained captive in Hao's hand and Yoh knew it was Ren's soul.

"This should teach you to not get in my way again," Hao spat. He turned his back to Yoh and vanished along with Ren's soul.

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Hi everybody. I felt like writing something angsty so here is something angsty and surprise surprise – there's no pairing in this one. After writing so much shounen ai it felt kinda weird writing something without it. But the usual characters are still there, Ren, Yoh, and Hao… Yoh gets the leading role this time!

I was going to save this till after the Saturday morning airing of the last few episodes, but due to computer problems I wanted to upload this fast. I didn't want to spoil the moment for you, when Hao stuck his hand in to grab Yoh's soul, but we all knew that was gonna happen way before, when foxbox showed us the trailer So no spoilers there, right?


	2. Chapter 2

A Promise of 500 Years

"Stupid human," Hao's voice echoed on the walls of the cave. The cave was eerily lit by the light of Ren's unstable spirit. He had yet to complete his transition from human to spirit, and no one, not even shaman, was supposed to be able to see his wandering soul, but somehow, not only was Hao able to see him but had trapped Ren, bounding him within his perimeter. It was another display of just how frightening and unimaginable Hao's power could be.

"Why do you protect my other half when you know you are powerless," a slight hint of frustration audible in his usually composed voice.

Ren hovered in the space above Hao. He was unafraid though fully aware of his helplessness before the fire shaman. He answered frankly, voice unwavering,

"I won't let you harm someone important to me."

"…"

Hao was silent for a moment. Ren's sharp golden eyes bore onto him as he seemed to contemplate, but he was no where serene like a calm thinker. Hao seethed under his breath as his shoulders tensed up. He put the usual smirk on his face except this time a few extra wrinkles were etched between his brows. He muttered in a low and dangerous tone.

"Then I'll make sure you shall never be with him again."

A silence.

"I will bound your soul to me."

Ren made no gesture of shock or remorse. Hao continued.

"I will make you suffer."

The boy was calm. He was too calm for someone who just found out he will never be with his friends again and will be trapped forever with someone he loathed. Mature understanding and acceptance radiated from the young boy and it drove Hao's tolerance to the end. Hao hated those who went against him and he hated those who did so with full confidence.

"Why are you so calm?" he almost spat, losing more of his composure.

"Have you broken down from grief because you will be there to witness when I eradicate all humans from this world?" A grin broke across his face as he considered the favorable possibility of the second question. However his enjoyment was cut off by a prompt 'No' from Ren's direction.

"No, I am not sad because I have trust in humans." Ren answered, eyes never falling from Hao's murderous gaze.

"They will find a way to defeat you..."

"…just as they did 500 years ago."

Hao was beyond infuriated. His eyes told Ren he wouldn't mind killing him a second time if it were possible, but he chose to turn away. Hao closed his eyes and breathed out in an uneven and heavily forced breath of air. He thought to himself that soon he will attain the Great Spirit, that the words of this insignificant boy was hardly valuable. Opacho went out searching for the path to the Great Spirit for a while. His trusted follower will be back soon.

Soon.

Hao smirked smugly again.

"Very well, then we shall see."

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Aw, poor Ren, stuck with Hao. he, he, Hao lost his cool. Now that I think about it, should this be called a death fic? But Ren technically didn't die yet. His soul just got separated from his body. hmm…oh well. I don't want to think of Ren as 'dead' anyway. Looks like Yoh is Ren's only hope. Will he be able to save him? Stay tuned for more angst coming your way : ) 


	3. Chapter 3

A Promise of 500 Years

Yoh, Anna, and the others ran up the last of the forest field to Hao. They looked tired and tense as if they had been through a lot before they were able to scout out Hao. They have been through a lot with Hao's henchmen getting in the way and all. Yoh, Horohoro, and the rest of the guys gritted their teeth and were positioned to attack any moment, but Hao made no move to feel threatened, like the group of rebelling shamans was as insignificant as a group of ants attacking a lion.

"Give us back Ren's soul."

Yoh stepped forward. He was cradling Ren's unmoving body carefully in his arms. His face was tight and he was staring straight at Hao with reproving eyes. Hao's face only cracked a grin as a reaction. Yoh took another step forward as if to show his resolution. Saving his friend was now his main objective. After Hao left him with Ren's hollow body, Yoh had ran straight back to Anna, hoping she would have a way to call back his friend's soul. He didn't even bother to stop Hao from getting the Great Spirit.

He scanned the area around Hao. Ren's soul was no where to be seen, but Yoh knew he was there. Hao wouldn't have let him go so easily. He always held special attention towards Ren. He would've kept Ren to torture him. Yoh narrowed his eyes at the thought.

Anna beside him made a clacking sound as she moved her beads. She gave him a nod, signifying preparation. Once he and the others have reclaimed Ren's temporarily separated soul from Hao, she will reattach it to the boy's body. But before they came in pursuit of Hao, she also told them, 'If we leave him like this any longer, he will remain detached from his body forever.'

Yoh gently lowered Ren's body to the grassy field. His hand clutched at his katana and he turned to his friends. They nodded simultaneously then rushed recklessly towards Hao.

He knew their fight was probably useless.

He knew that Hao might've already achieved the Great Spirit.

But Yoh was blinded by his rage. He was angry at Hao for hurting his friend. He was angry at himself for letting it happen.

'Ren was trying to protect me!'

Yoh fought with all his might. Though he was using all his strength, all his strategies, all his ability, he wasn't even able to land a single strike. Hao only smirked triumphantly throughout the battle on the Great Spirit that he had attained. It was the king of all spirits, incomparable to all others, that Hao had wrenched from the earth for his own. It wasn't even a battle.

He charged at the undefeatable spirit over and over again. No matter how many times he was knocked down he always got back up. Anger was fueling him and the same for his comrades, but slowly, one-by-one, his friends stopped getting back up until it was just Yoh against Hao. Yoh pushed his hair out of his face and tightened his grip on his sword. Every part of his body was aching and telling him that he was at his limit, but he refused to back down.

Yoh rushed at his target and fought a brilliant fight like that of a seasoned fighter, but it was still not enough as he was constantly getting knocked down. He felt like he was fighting alone in his one-on-one with Hao, but transparent eyes were watching him. Yoh gave one last charge and with a single swoop from Hao's spirit, he was knocked down to the ground where the rest of his friends laid wounded.

Yoh lifted his beaten body with two arms. It was all he could do with the energy left in him. He cursed to himself and looked angrily up at Hao. His eyes were close to tears and Hao's grin grew wider on his face. Seeing that his opponents were no longer in any condition to fight him, Hao dismissed them. He said loudly so that all of them could hear.

"Since you are all shamans, I will spare your lives."

He stopped to laugh humorously to himself as if human lives and sparing them were only something amusing to him. Arrogantly, he added.

"Watch me create a world of only shamans."

-

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Hao the maniac….ha…ha…. Sorry for making you so evil HaoHao 


	4. Chapter 4

A Promise of 500 Years

"It's too late," Anna said softly. She rose from her position beside Ren's unmoving body. The clattering of her beads sounded in the occupied yet silent room. She moved away calmly, knowing what the others' reaction will be once the words left her mouth. Horohoro was the first. He jumped up, wrapped with bandages on nearly every part of his skin. His fist clenched and his body shook.

"You mean that's it! He's gonna stay this way forever!" he shouted at Anna, but everyone knew it wasn't really Anna that Horohoro was angry at. The blue-haired boy tended to get enveloped in his emotions and losing a friend he tried everything to save was an emotional high point for the boy. She gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hao had his soul bounded to him. As long as it remains that way, I can't call it back," she sighed, disliking the words that were coming out, "We weren't able to make Hao release him…" She turned away. She didn't want to explain further. She didn't need to explain further, that Ren can never go back in his body. The others understood. Crying broke out in the room. The friends of the unmoving boy cried without reserve.

A slow mechanical thumping of a set of footsteps came from the other side of the room. Anna looked behind her then moved away to let the boy pass. He made no sound nor was there any emotion on his face. He knelt then delicately lifted Ren into his arms. It was when he held that cold body close to his chest when the first drops of warm tears fell from his face.

Yoh wept bitterly and loudly. It was as if he was hurt at the very depths of his heart. Anyone who heard it would be heartbroken and for his friends who knew the always cheerful, happy-go-lucky boy, it was just too much to bear.

He couldn't help it. Even he didn't know. He held Ren tighter.

The sadness washed over him.

He never expected this. He always tried his hardest and it always worked out in the end.

He tried his hardest.

The helplessness came over him.

He looked down at Ren's calm face. He saw the way his friend's body was limp in his arms.

The pain overflowed his heart.

Nobody dared to make a move towards the heartbroken Yoh, as if fearing if they did they might end up hurting him more. Nobody dared except for Anna. She made her way towards Yoh and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to look at her. Though he tried his best to repress his tears when facing her, streams of tears had fallen from his eyes. The clear sorrow could be seen on his face. It almost made her want to turn away. She had never seen Yoh so hopeless before. She swallowed her surfacing emotions.

Putting on her usual serious face, she told him, "Crying won't bring him back."

"Go find a way to stop Hao."

"At least take his soul back."

She whispered the last words at the end. It was all that she could do. All she could say to her one's sad face. Even Anna was breaking down. There was a silence as Yoh dropped his head again. Slowly his arms began to loosen from the grip he had around the boy's body. He lifted Ren back into the white sheets of the bed and picked himself up. Everyone in the room had their eyes on him, wondering why he suddenly stopped crying. The brown bangs covered his eyes and most of his face, but when the words came out of his mouth, everyone knew there was a change.

"You're right. Let's find a way to beat Hao."

The tone was low. The voice was eerily calm. Most importantly, the usual carefree tone was gone. Eyes lit by determination shot up. Yoh pulled his head up, unafraid to show his change. The relaxed features were gone from his face. If being his old self cost his friend's life, then he couldn't be himself anymore. Yoh turned and walked out of the room, not wanting to waste a single bit of time.

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Poor Yoh, so hard on himself... Well, see you in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

A Promise of 500 Years

It was a beautiful world much different than the way it was just a few decades back. It was as if the very world had gone through a metamorphism in the few years. Greens covered the land. The sky sprawled endlessly from each angle. Streams flowed freely void of pollution. The world sparkled with beauty, yet it was strangely lonely.

There was no longer such a thing as an industrialized city. Thick forests covered the world. In the middle of one of these forests was a fortress, a big grand structure that was fit for a king. But just as its surroundings, the whole place was empty of people, save for a single room.

In this room, a young boy's spirit floated beside the bed where an old man laid. The old man was emancipated, nearing his death, and the boy was still in his teenage years. However, his golden-colored eyes were tired and weary from seeing unimaginable things. The man coughed in his death bed. It came out in an attempt to laugh. Apparently, this person wasn't afraid of dying.

"Who would've thought I would die of old age," he whispered in his labored breathing. His shaky voice was hard on the ear but he still continued, "I have done enough."

He sounded satisfied and the corners of the wrinkled lips creased into a smile. His breathing strained heavily and he took two loud coughs that shook his whole body. A few white feathered birds flew across the bedroom's window, in the green paradise created by the dying man himself.

The boy had remained silent for a while. In fact he hadn't said much for a long time. He simply lingered by the side of the one he was bounded to. Idle. Wordless. An eerie glow surrounded him as he was suspended in midair. A few words escaped his mouth.

"Rest in peace, Hao."

They were neither said in spite nor in sympathy. It sounded quite emotionless. The boy may have forgotten his voice which was filled with feeling. He may have forgotten his emotions.

A lackluster eye moved his way, under half closed eyelids. The smile disappeared from the face and was replaced by a frown. Muscles still functioning in the forehead formed into a crease. Hao strained, "Oh no, this is not the end for you."

"For now our souls will merely hibernate. Five hundred years later you will reincarnate with me."

He pulled his face into a smile with all his strength again before continuing.

"And watch me eradicate the humans again."

The dull eyes never leaved the boy's in a glare. Neither did Ren's own jaded ones pull away. Hao had successfully created his world of shamans. He took countless human lives, destroying cities and any form of civilization that he didn't like. Ren had watched him reduce the world's population by more than half. Now he was reassuring Ren that he will do the same, letting him experience it all over again. Like a dull sword, the pain finally hit him. Ren closed his tired eyes. Hao glared at him. With the last of his breath he hissed the single word.

"Suffer."

-


	6. Chapter 6

umm... sorry for the long wait... I'll give you the same lame excuse... I was too busy :) Anyways, this is the last one so enjoy.

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A Promise of 500 Years

A couple looked lovingly at a pair of twin boys, just born. They affectionately stroked at the babies' cheeks and cooed sweet words at the innocent newborns. The little ones squirmed cutely at the touch. Their eyes were still closed from the strong light of their new world. However one of the babies began to awaken. His mental capacity far surpassed that of a normal baby. He mentally hissed at the touches of his new parents as he became more aware of his surroundings.

'Filthy humans. Get your hands off of me.'

Unable to speak the actual words, he shied away from the loving hands as best as he could, but the act did little for he was still a weak baby that lacked strength and coordination. Instead, he willed for his spirits, ready to kill off someone he barely knew. A few seconds passed and his Spirit of Fire had yet to appear. He frantically tried several more times but to no avail.

'Why?'

He was shocked. It was the first time this ever happened since he had obtained the Spirit of Fire. It always displayed absolute obedience to him. Then it finally hit him. Someone must have done something to his Spirit of Fire. Desperately, he began summoning for all his other spirits that he had obtained through his past lives, but none of them came out.

'No.'

It was at that moment when he heard the voice of another echo within his mind. It was Ren's voice.

'Like I said…'

Hao turned his eyes at the source of the voice, his twin brother beside him. The other baby was calm and had its eyes closed, but it was definitely awake. Ren's voice continued to resonate within him.

'One day they will find a way to stop you.'

The couple brushed at the pair of newborns, not knowing of the conversation that was going on between the two. The man picked up one of the two. He cradled the delicate child then turned to his wife.

"What should we name them?"

The wife smiled and answered quite swiftly. "Asakura Hao" She said as she lovingly eyed the baby beside her. Then she looked up at the baby her husband was holding, "and Asakura Ren." The husband perked a brow, quite liking the names his wife had given to their children, but curious as to where she got them. He didn't even need to ask when the wife laughed a sweet soft chuckle then began to explain.

"This was a request from my ancestor from 500 years ago…"

-

_500 years ago_

_-_

Asakura Yoh stepped into a part of his house which he visited often. It was a room with nothing much except for a vase of flowers on the side and a futon spread out in the middle. He gently slid the door shut as if afraid to awaken the body which rested within the pure white sheets. He walked over to the futon and knelt beside it. Yoh looked yearningly at the purple haired boy, still preserved in his early teen years. Ren's body had remained in a timeless state.

He was beautiful, just as Yoh remembered, but no matter how many times Yoh wished to see Ren move again his wish would never come true. It's been many years since he last talked with Ren. Yoh was already in his early twenties. The young man lifted a side of the blanket and crawled into the bed. He encased the small body with his arms. He let loose the tears he had been holding.

His place beside the boy was like a sanctuary to him. It was the only place he would let loose his feelings because once outside he faced nothing but a desolate world, ruined and full of fear for Hao. Once his tears have run dry, he removed himself from Ren and fixed his messy state. He couldn't appear weak in front of his friends. The situation was different. His friends, his family, the entire world seriously depended on him to stop Hao.

However, that wasn't the driving force behind his strength, what made it possible for him to make it this far. A palm reached down to touch a cheek on the placid sleeping face. Every time he looked at it he remembered the promise he made. It was a single-sided promise he made to Ren. The door to the room slowly slid open.

"Yoh, it's time," Anna called by the doorframe.

Yoh got up. After scouring nearly the entire world, they had finally found a way to seal Hao's spirits. Right now they were just about to head out to put the seal in place. It won't take effect right away, not after another 100 years. It will be too late to save their world, but at least they can save the world 500 years later. Before he stepped through the door he took one last look at Ren.

The words of spite resonated within his mind.

'Hao, you took something important from me, but no matter what I take away from you, you will never feel the same pain I am feeling.'

Yoh placed a hand over his heavy heart. Then he held his head up high and walked out the door.

-

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Please head over to my site for the epilogue. Yes there is an ending. We still need to see how twin Hao and Ren are doing I just had to draw my own creation, the new asakura twins, so the last chapter is in comic format. Just head over to my author page for my site. Thanks for reading. 


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